A video inactive from the NBC archive showing Donald Trump talking with Jeffrey Epstein astatine a enactment successful Mar-A-Lago from 1992.
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Ranking subordinate Sen. Richard Durbin, D-Ill., arrives for the Senate Judiciary Committee proceeding successful Dirksen gathering connected Tuesday, June 17, 2025.
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Durbin's letters, addressed to Attorney General Pam Bondi, FBI Director Kash Patel, and Deputy FBI Director Dan Bongino, adhd to the unit connected the Trump medication implicit Bondi's determination to withhold from the nationalist grounds astir Epstein contempt her past promises.
Durbin is the ranking Democrat connected the Senate Judiciary Committee, which has oversight implicit the Justice Department and the FBI.
"Who made the determination to reassign hundreds of New York Field Office unit to this March reappraisal of Epstein-related records?" Durbin asked successful his letters.
"Why were unit told to emblem records successful which President Trump was mentioned?" helium asked.
An FBI spokesperson told CNBC successful an email, "The FBI has nary comment," erstwhile asked astir Durbin's letters.
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Trump is simply a erstwhile person of Epstein, who died from termination successful a Manhattan national jailhouse successful August 2019, weeks aft his apprehension connected kid enactment trafficking charges.
On Thursday night, The Wall Street Journal reported that a "bawdy" missive bearing Trump's signature was sent to Epstein successful 2003 for this 50th birthday. Trump has angrily denied penning specified a missive and said helium volition writer the Journal.
Durbin's letters elaborate Justice Department and FBI actions successful March, successful the weeks aft Bondi told Fox News connected Feb. 21 that the alleged Epstein lawsuit database was "sitting connected my table close present to review."
On Feb. 27, Bondi drew disapproval aft releasing binders of documents related to Epstein to blimpish influencers and commentators, which turned retired to dwell of files that were antecedently publically available.
"After aggravated blowback from this incident, Attorney General Bondi past appeared connected different FOX News show, Life Liberty Levin, and claimed that a 'whistleblower' told her that [Manhattan U..S. Attorney's Office was] 'sitting connected thousands of pages of documents'"; that 'we volition get everything'; that she was 'assured' determination was more; and that the state would yet spot 'the afloat Epstein files," Durbin wrote.
Durbin said his bureau had learned that aft that, the "FBI was pressured to enactment astir 1,000 unit successful its Information Management Division … connected 24-hour shifts to reappraisal astir 100,000 Epstein-related records successful bid to nutrient much documents that could past beryllium released connected an arbitrarily abbreviated deadline."
"This effort, which reportedly took spot from March 14 done the extremity of March, was haphazardly supplemented by hundreds of FBI New York Field Office personnel, galore of whom lacked the expertise to place statutorily-protected accusation regarding kid victims and kid witnesses oregon decently grip FOIA requests," the missive said.
"My bureau was told that these unit were instructed to 'flag' immoderate records successful which President Trump was mentioned."
Durbin past referenced a well-known punctuation by Trump astir Epstein, made to a mag erstwhile they were inactive friends.
"Notably, successful 2002, Mr. Trump said of Mr. Epstein, 'I've known Jeff for 15 years. Terrific guy, He's a batch of amusive to beryllium with. It is adjacent said that helium likes beauteous women arsenic overmuch arsenic I do, and galore of them are connected the younger side,' " Durbin wrote.
On July 7, the Justice Department and FBI, successful a memo, said it had concluded that determination was nary Epstein lawsuit list, and supported the long-standing authoritative uncovering that Epstein died by suicide.
"There was besides nary credible grounds recovered that Epstein blackmailed salient individuals arsenic portion of his actions," the memo said. "We did not uncover grounds that could predicate an probe against uncharged 3rd parties."
"While we person labored to supply the nationalist with maximum accusation regarding Epstein and ensured introspection of immoderate grounds successful the government's possession, it is the determination of the Department of Justice and the Federal Bureau of Investigation that nary further disclosure would beryllium due oregon warranted," the memo said.
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